J. Wellington Wimpy
J. Wellington Wimpy, or just Wimpy, is one of the characters in the long-running comic strip Thimble Theatre and in the Popeye cartoons based upon it. He is a hefty hamburger lover known for his mooching ways and a hidden level of high intelligence. He is a soft-spoken and cowardly gentleman who will do whatever it takes to get a free hamburger with the promise that he'll gladly repay the kind soul that offers one on Tuesday, which he usually never does. Wimpy has become a recognized and beloved character in his own right, often seen as one of the most recognizable cowardly sidekicks in cartoons and whose association with hamburgers has led him to be featured in many advertisements related to the juicy patty. Character history Creation and development in Thimble Theatre Wimpy was created by newspaper cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar. He became one of the dominant characters in the original strips. Wimpy is said to have been inspired by real-life Chester, Illinois local J. William Schuchert. After his appearance in Thimble Theatre, Wimpy would return as a major supporting character in the 1948 comic book series by E. C. Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf, usually trying to mooch off of Popeye like always. His comic book appearances would continue for decades until the title's end in 1984. Fleischer Studios As Popeye's popularity greatly grew, he would be given his own animated adaptation by Fleischer Studios. Wimpy would be a regular recurring (but somewhat minor) character in these shorts, remaining mostly unchanged from his Thimble Theatre portrayal. However only a few shorts ever showed his hidden intelligence. Dave Fleischer even said that the character in the Segar comic strips was "too intellectual" to be used in film cartoons, which would explain why his intellect and clever quips were not often used, but once could still rarely see his hidden wit in how he handled his mooching tactics. As the character was soft-spoken and generally cowardly, it did little for their action-oriented approach so he was never involved in most of the fight-centered episodes, and if he was, it would be as a spectator for the most part. Famous Studios Following the takeover of the Popeye animated franchise by Paramount Studios in 1942, Famous Studios made drastic changes which abandoned almost all traces of Thimble Theatre and focused largely on plots involving Popeye, Olive, Bluto in something resembling a love triangle, without many other characters appearing and with very few shorts deviating from that setup. As such, Wimpy was largely absent, but would end up being the only other character besides Swee'Pea to appear in these shorts, however his appearances were limited to only a handful of shorts out of the 122 that were produced, and most of his appearances were only in flashback scenes of Fleischer, with only three cartoons ever having him be drawn by the Famous Studios staff. His design was also the only one that remained unchanged, however in his first appearance, his little mustache was made to resemble the toothbrush style. His personality was also unchanged as his few appearances had him as a burger-loving moocher ''The All-New Popeye Hour'' In 1978, Hanna-Barbera Productions, with King Features Syndicate, would produce a new Popeye television series, The All-New Popeye Hour. Unlike the previous show, this series had higher-quality animation and was more akin to Segar's work and Fleischer cartoons than other Popeye animations, with Popeye regularly seen as an adventurous sailor once more who was usually accompanied by his pal Wimpy. Wimpy remained largely unchanged, with the only difference past and future incarnations being that his voice, as depicted by Daws Butler, was now a homage to the comic persona of beloved golden age actor with the bright nose, W. C. Fields. Popeye's first movie In 1980, a theatrical movie called Popeye was released, featuring an original story and serving as a more faithful adaptation to Segar's Thimble Theatre. In the film, Wimpy appears as a supporting character and friend of Popeye who is played by Paul Dooley. Surprisingly, Wimpy got along well enough with George W. Geezil, despite Geezil's usual scorn for the moocher, however Rough House remained just as bothered by Wimpy as ever. ''Popeye and Son'' In 1987, the latest animated series focusing on Popeye was produced, entitled Popeye and Son. The series was unique in the Popeye franchise for taking place later in characters' lives (a notable change considering the rarity of having well-known cartoon characters actually move on with their lives). Even Wimpy himself finally gained steady employment as the owner of his very own burger joint, much to his delight, and he even had a son of his own. His diner would be regularly frequented by Popeye's son Junior and his friends, making it a popular spot for kids and teens. Revivals In 2004, a CGI-animated TV movie titled Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy was produced by Mainframe Entertainment for Lions Gate Entertainment and King Features Entertainment which featured Wimpy once again as Popeye's mooching sidekick. Wimpy would re-appear in IDW Publishing's revival of the Popeye comics in 2012 as a recurring character doing the thing he loves most once again, mooching. He has been featured regularly in issues, and even gained his own foe in the form of "The Phantom Crusher". Character designs Wimpy is a short round tubby gentleman who usually wears a simple suit consisting of a white dress shirt with a red tie, along with a jacket and loose-fitting pants with brown shoes and belt. The color of his jacket and pants usually vary but other than that, his attire remains consistently the same. He also has a small mustache composed of a few hairs, and another particular trait is that he rarely opens his eyes unless shocked or surprised. Wimpy's most notable feature is his brown bowler hat which he often uses to hide a burger underneath. Personality Wimpy is Popeye's friend and often plays the role of the "straight man" to Popeye's outbursts and wild antics. Wimpy is very intelligent and well educated, but very lazy and gluttonous. Wimpy is also something of a scam artist and, especially in the newspaper cartoons, can be quite underhanded at times. Wimpy's favorite dish is the hamburger, and he is usually seen contentedly munching on one, but is seldom willing to pay for them. A recurring gag are Wimpy's attempts to con other patrons of the diner into buying him his lunch. Wimpy often tries to outwit fellow restaurant-goers with his convoluted logic. His famous line, which was first carried over into the cartoons in 1934's We Aim to Please, is "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" (which carried over as lyrics to a song in the 1980 movie Popeye, "Everything Is Food"). Wimpy had other frequently used lines in the original comic strip, usually uttered to someone or a group of people who are after him for some shenanigan he pulled. An example would be Wimpy trying to placate the angry person or mob by saying "I'd like to invite you over to my house for a duck dinner..." The angry individuals are usually satisfied with that line, upon which Wimpy moves away to a safe distance and yells, "...You bring the ducks!" The only one not to grow angry in such a case is Popeye. Another line of his: "Jones is my name... I'm one of the Jones boys"--an attempt to defuse a hostile situation with a false claim for mistaken identity. Gallery Wimpy's gallery can be viewed here Trivia * During the Second World War, the RAF Wellington bomber was nicknamed the "Wimpy". * The Wimpy Bar is a chain of restaurants which is named after him, launched in the United Kingdom in 1954 by J. Lyons and Co. * In the 1980 film directed by Robert Altman, Wimpy is played by character actor Paul Dooley. * The Italian full name for this character is "Poldo Sbaffini"; his 'surname' refers to his scrounging habits. * The name of Wimpy in Latin America and Spain is "Pilón" ("Pestle"), which may refer to the character's body shape. * A Detroit tavern called "Wimpy's" is located at the corner of East Warren Avenue and Outer Drive. The eatery contains caricatures and other likenesses of the popular character. See Also *Cartoons Where Wimpy Appears External links * Popeye | The Home of Popeye the Sailor Man website * [http://www.toonopedia.com/popeye.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia Popeye page] * J. Wellington Wimpy at the Internet Movie Database Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Thimble Theatre Category:Fleischer Studios Category:Famous Studios Category:Live action film characters Category:Wimps